Pieces of the Sky
by aznlurve
Summary: Skylar is a young girl who had her innocence stolen away from her. She has never known love or family. Can Olivia save her?
1. Prologue

It was a drizzly Sunday morning, the kind of day where everyone would be sleeping in. The air was misty and the fog was so dense, the sun was just a grey light. A woman in her late 30s stepped out of the house with her dog. Still half-asleep, she walked down to the mailbox. Moments later, her piercing screams filled the air. The local paper boy dropped his bike and ran over. Together, they stared in shock at the young, naked body of a 24-year old girl lying on the side of the road.


	2. Chapter 1

"So what do we got?" Olivia Benson asked, as she walked over to the already forming crowd.

"Female, 24, raped and beaten. She was found on the side of the road early this morning." Nick Amaro replied. The lingering wails of an ambulance rang in the air. Police officers roamed around the area, investigating the scene.

"Benson," Captain Cragen said, "I want you and Amaro to go talk to the girl. She's in the hospital down the street. Fin and Rollins are going to investigate the neighborhood."

"Yes, Captain." Olivia turned to her partner. "Nick, I'm driving."

The rain from earlier had mostly cleared up, and the sun shone brightly on the cool spring day. Olivia turned on the engine of the car and smiled. After a long vacation, she had forgotten how good it felt to be back. Being a senior detective had its ups and downs, but she loved her job. Her partner, Nick Amaro, was an amazing friend and always made cases easier to handle.

When they got to the hospital, Olivia walked up to the front desk. "I'm looking for an Aurora Hale?"

Her fingers flying across the keyboard, the lady looked up and said, "Yes. Room 113."

"Thanks."

Olivia and Nick walked down the hallway making small talk.

"So how'd the date with Brian go?" Nick asked.

Olivia made a face. "He's still a jerk."

Nick laughed, "I'm sure."

They stopped in front of Room 113. Olivia knocked twice, and then opened the door. Lying on the white hospital bed, a young girl looked up. Her dark hair fell across her face, and she peered at the detectives with deep blue eyes. There were fading bruises on her face and arms.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Olivia looked at Nick. She walked over to the bed.

"I'm Olivia and this is my partner Nick. We're here to talk to you about what happened last night."

Immediately, Aurora sat up. "_Nothing_ happened last night."

"It sure didn't seem like nothing," Nick said. "Look, we're here to help you."

"Well you can _help_ me by going away. I'm fine. The doctors are letting me go home today."

"Listen, Aurora," Olivia said softly, kneeling down by the bed. "You were _raped_. Somebody hurt you. Just tell us who it was."

"I'm telling you, it was an accident! Please, just go." Aurora turned away.

Nick sighed and gestured to Olivia for them to leave. Sighing, she followed him out.

"It's obvious she was hurt!" Olivia said when they reached the hospital waiting room. "We can't just leave and forget about her."

"Well it's obvious she's not going to talk. It's not like we can force her to press charges."

"So what? We just let the guy get away with it?"

"No, we'll talk to Cragen, see what he says. Maybe Fin and Rollins found something. We can always try again later."


	3. Chapter 2

"We canvassed the entire neighborhood. No one had any idea Aurora was being hurt, let alone who did it. They all claimed she rarely left the house." Amanda Rollins sat down on top of the table.

"How is that possible?" Olivia asked. "The doctors said she seemed to have a long history of abuse."

Captain Cragen walked out of his office. "The hospital just discharged Aurora. That's it then. If she doesn't want to press charges, we can't do anything else."

"Captain," Olivia said. "We know someone hurt her."

"And without her permission, you can't do anything!"

"Please. Just let Amaro and me go and talk to her. Just this once."

Cragen sighed. "Fine. Once. If she doesn't want to talk, come right back."

"This is it," Amaro said, checking the address of the apartment. He knocked twice on the door. A couple of moments later, it creaked open.

Aurora's face filled with surprise when she saw them. "I thought I told you to leave," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Now's not a good time." She started to close the door.

"Aurora, we just want to talk," Olivia said, catching the door and pushing it open.

"Aurora!" a voice shouted. "Who is it?"

Aurora's face paled as a man walked up to Nick and Olivia. He had an athletic build and seemed huge next to the young frail girl. Cold blue eyes shone under his blond hair.

"I'm Detective Amaro and this Detective Benson." Nick said, flashing his badge. "We're here to speak to your…girlfriend?"

"Wife," the man said, putting his arm around Aurora. "I'm Matt. Go ahead. Aurora and I have no secrets."

Nick raised his eyebrows. "Then I guess you don't mind if we come in."

They walked through the living room and into a small dining room. As they passed the hallway, Olivia noticed the door of a closet swing shut and she almost smiled.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but could I use your bathroom?"

Aurora looked up, startled. "Sure. Down the hall to your right."

"Thanks." Olivia got up and walked down, stopping in front of the closet. She stared at it for a moment, then opened the two doors and looked down.

A girl gazed back at her, wrapping herself tighter among the pile of clothes, as if trying to make herself disappear. She really couldn't be more than seven or eight years old, and her huge blue eyes and pale skin made her appear even younger. Unlike other children however, her eyes were rimmed in black with eyeliner and she had streaks of purple in her hair. All the same, she was an almost spitting image of Aurora.

"Hi," Olivia said softly, lowering herself down. "My name's Olivia. I'm a police officer." She held out her badge, looking at the girl.

There was no response, and the girl turned away.

"What's your name?" Olivia asked.

Still nothing.

"I bet it's really pretty. Will you tell me?"

"Skylar," the girl whispered finally; her voice so soft Olivia barely caught it.

"That's beautiful. Can I sit with you, Skylar?" Olivia crawled into the closet next to the child.

Skylar continued to stare at the wall, not allowing her eyes to meet Olivia's. They sat in silence for a couple of moments in the small, cramped room.

"What are you doing with my daughter?" Skylar and Olivia both looked up to find Matt staring at them.

Immediately, Olivia felt Skylar tense up.

"I was just talking to her," Olivia said.

"Well I think you'd better go." Matt looked at them a second longer and then walked away.

"I guess I'd better leave now," Olivia said to Skylar, "but in case you want to talk, call me, okay?" She held out her card.

Skylar ignored her. Sighing, Olivia dropped the card on the floor and got up.

Before she left, Olivia took one last look at the girl. There were stories in her eyes. They carried the wisdom and past of someone much older. Olivia tried to imagine the innocence of a child, but all she could see were painted portraits of what had been. She sighed again and stood up to meet Nick.

As they drove back to the precinct, Olivia couldn't get the image of the little girl out of her mind. _What is your story? _She asked silently.

"Well?" Captain Cragen asked as they walked in.

"Nothing," Nick said. "She's still denying everything. We met her husband though."

"Husband?" Cragen asked.

"Definitely the man of the house." Nick laughed drily.

"There's another thing," Olivia said. "She's got a daughter."

"A daughter?" Fin asked. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yep. Barely said a word," Olivia sighed.

"That's it then," Cragen said. "There's nothing else we can do except for wait."

Days turned into weeks and Aurora never turned up. Olivia still found herself thinking about Skylar. Work kept her busy, but so many cases reminded her of that little girl.

There was one of a twelve-year-old who was kidnapped. She was found before anything happened. When her parents got her back, they started crying, and then smiling and laughing; the family holding tight onto each other. Olivia thought about how lucky that girl was, yet she didn't really know it. She thought about how Skylar never had that kind of childhood, and it made her sad just how unfair the world was.

_If Amanda and I could take care of Skylar, I would give her the life she never had. _

Then, when it seemed like nothing would turn up, a call disrupted the silence of the 16th precinct.

"Benson," Olivia answered. A moment later she looked up in horror.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"Neighbors called and said they heard shooting. Aurora's place."

Cragen stood up. "Let's go."


End file.
